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J Pediatr Intensive Care
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1747927
Original Article

Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Children and Families in PICU Follow-Up Clinic

Lucile Barcat
1   Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte Justine, Université de Montréal. Montréal, Québec, Canada
,
Geneviève Du Pont-Thibodeau
1   Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte Justine, Université de Montréal. Montréal, Québec, Canada
,
Camille Jutras
1   Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte Justine, Université de Montréal. Montréal, Québec, Canada
,
Karen Harrington 
1   Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte Justine, Université de Montréal. Montréal, Québec, Canada
,
Simon MacDonald 
1   Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte Justine, Université de Montréal. Montréal, Québec, Canada
,
Laurence Ducharme-Crevier
1   Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte Justine, Université de Montréal. Montréal, Québec, Canada
› Author Affiliations Funding This work was supported by the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center.
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Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted the lives of many families, especially those of children with chronic health problems. Little is known about the impact of this pandemic on the health and well-being of critically ill children and their families after their discharge from pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) hospitalization. This study describes the repercussions of the COVID-19-related lockdown on the physical and psychological wellbeing, quality of life, and access to resources of PICU survivors and their families. This was a prospective cohort study of children and families followed at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ste-Justine PICU follow-up clinic from October 2018 to February 2020. Families were contacted by phone to complete validated questionnaires (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their access to medical care and extrafamilial support. Fifty-five families were contacted between November and December 2020. Quality of life scores were 88.1 ± 16.9 and 83.8 ± 13.9 for physical and psychosocial aspects, respectively. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were detected in 23.6 and 3.6% of respondent parents, respectively. A significant proportion of families reported canceled or delayed health care appointments (65.5%) and difficulty with medication access (12.7%). Twenty-five families (45.5%) reported a significant decrease in income. We could not identify any statistically significant predictors for lower quality of life scores. Difficulty accessing medical care was associated with higher symptoms of anxiety and/or depression in parents on multivariate analysis (p = 0.02). In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant negative impact on PICU survivors' access to medical resources and extrafamilial support.

Keywords

critically ill - PICU - children - quality of life - COVID-19 pandemic

Note

This study was performed at CHU Sainte-Justine, Université de Montréal.




Publication History

Received: 22 October 2021

Accepted: 06 March 2022

Article published online:
17 May 2022

© 2022. Thieme. All rights reserved.

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
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